"North to the future"
Alaska
The United States of America
James F. Kaserman
Sarah J. Kaserman
Juneau
I Save A Tree
Electronic Books
C 2003 I Save A Tree Inc.
ISBN# 0-9714299-1-X
Table of Contents
Location
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5
State bird
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25
History before statehood
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7
State tree
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27
History since statehood
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9
State flower
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29
State government
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11
Famous people from Alaska
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31
State flag
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13
Things to do in Alaska
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33
Current facts
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15
Popular sports in Alaska
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35
Industry today
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17
Fast facts
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37
State landmarks
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19
Glossary
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39
Weather and land
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21
Web sites / books for information
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41
Animals in Alaska
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23
Index
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43
Credits
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45
Location
Alaska is the only state that is
separated from the rest of the United
States by another country. It is 500
miles from Alaska through Canada
until you get to the state of
Washington. People who live in Alaska
refer to the rest of the states as
"the lower 48."
Juneau is the state capital. It is the
only state capital that has to be
reached by airplane or boat. There are
no highways to Juneau.
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Juneau
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6
History
_______________________
William Seward
Before Statehood
Eskimos, Aleuts and Indians lived
in Alaska when it was discovered by
Russia. Vitus Bering discovered Alaska
for Russia. Explorers from other
countries also came
looking for a sea
route between the
Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans.
In 1867, the United
States bought
Alaska from Russia
for $7,200,000.
American Secretary
of State William
Seward arranged the purchase.
People did not think much of this
deal and called it "Seward's Folly."
Eskimo
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8
History
_______________________
Pipeline
Since Statehood
Alaska officially became a state
on January 3, 1959. Alaska is our 49th
state. It is called
"America's Last
Frontier." Since
becoming a state,
Alaska produces
25% of all the oil
produced in the
United States. The Trans-Alaska
Pipeline is 800 miles long and carries
88,000 barrels of oil through it per hour.
Oil rig
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10
Government
_______________________
Capitol building
The state government of Alaska is
divided into three branches. Governor
Frank Murkowski is head of the executive
branch. This branch is in charge of
carrying out the laws.
The legislative branch
is the General
Assembly. It makes
the laws.
The General
Assembly has
two parts, the
Senate and the
House of
Representatives.
The third branch is the judicial branch.
This branch interprets the laws.
Alaska has 27 counties. Each one has
its own local government.
Gov. Frank Murkowski
_______________________
12
State Flag
_______________________
The state flag
was adopted in
1959. The Alaska
state flag has a
blue field that
represents the sky, the sea and
mountain lakes, as well as the Alaska
forget-me-not wildflower. On the blue
flag are eight gold stars.
_______________________
Seven of the stars form the "Big
Dipper." One star in the upper right
hand corner represents the North
Star. This star represents the fact
that Alaska is
the most
northern state
in the United
States.
14
Current Facts
_______________________
Crab
Natural gas drums
Alaska has
626,932 people.
The state
ranks 48th
in population in
the U.S. for the number of people living
in it. Alaska covers 570,374 square miles.
It is the largest state in the U.S.
Alaska earns most of its money from
the oil and natural gas. Prudhoe Bay is
_______________________
one of the largest
oil fields in North
America. The
largest private employer in the
state is the fishing and seafood
industry. Alaska has more coastline
and water surrounding it than any
other state.
16
Industry
Today
Alaska's most important income
comes from its oil and natural gas
resources. Mining is also very
important. Gold is the official state
mineral and is
mined even today.
Food processing,
lumber and tourism
are also important
industries of Alaska.
Gold
_______________________
Much of the United States' salmon,
crab, halibut and herring come
from Alaska. The fishing and seafood
industry
employs more
people than any
other private
business in Alaska.
Salmon fishing
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18
Landmarks
_______________________
Mount McKinley
One of Alaska's
famous landmarks
is Mount
McKinley. It is the
highest mountain
in North America,
reaching 20,320 feet above sea level.
The Alaska Highway was built during
World War II. It was built as a military
supply road.
Many people enjoy the adventure
of traveling this rugged highway.
Ocean-going ferry boats take many
vacationers
on the "marine
highway." Alaska
has 6,640 miles
of coastline, not
including inlets.
Ferry ride
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20
Weather & Land
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Ice flow
Alaska is a state
with extreme
weather. One-third
of Alaska is located
above the Arctic
Circle. The soil and climate allow farmers
to raise crops and livestock all the way to
the Arctic Circle.
The fact that the sun shines about
twenty hours per day during the
summer permits vegetables and
fruits to grow to giant size.
Temperatures
have been
recorded as low
as -80° Fahrenheit
below zero and
as warm as 100°.
Cabbage
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22
Animals
In Alaska
Caribou
The fur trade
almost destroyed
Alaska's unique
wildlife in the late
1800s. Today, laws
protect it from overhunting. Moose,
caribou, giant brown bears, white Dall
sheep and even polar bears are some
of the animals that roam the
countryside. In the sea, seals, sea lions,
otters and walruses swim. Sperm whales,
_______________________
_______________________
Polar bear
blue whales,
humpback
whales and orcas
are common
in the waters
around Alaska. The bowhead whale
is the Alaska's state marine mammal.
The moose was named the state
animal in 1998.
24
State Bird
_______________________
Ptarmigan in summer
The willow
ptarmigan (Lagopus
lagopus) was named
the state bird in
1955. This pheasantlike bird changes color from light
brown in summer to snow white in
winter. It can be found all over Alaska's
high country. The bird stays close to
Alaska even in the winter. The willow
ptarmigan
is also found in
Britain and
throughout
Canada. The bird
is often hunted
for sport.
Ptarmigan in winter
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26
State Tree
_______________________
Sitka spruce pine cones
Sitka spruce
The Sitka spruce
(Picea sitchensis) is
the world's biggest
and fastest growing
spruce. The Sitka
spruce can be found from the southern
part of Alaska down to the state of
California. The Sitka spruce was named
the state tree in 1962.
_______________________
This tree is
recognized as the
most valuable tree
species in the
entire state. It can
be found in both of the large national
forests in Alaska. The Tongass National
Forest is the largest national forest in
all the United States.
28
State Flower
_______________________
Forget-me-not
When Alaska
became a state in 1959, the forget-menot (Myosotis alpestris) became the
official state flower.
This wildflower has tiny blue
flowers with a
yellow center. It
grows in moist,
cool places.
Forget-me-not
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30
Famous People
_______________________
Jack London
The Bering Strait is named after
the Russian explorer Vitus Bering.
John Muir, the
famous explorer
and naturalist,
came to Alaska
from Scotland.
Joe Juneau was a
world-famous
prospector.
Famous author
Jack London,
pioneer pilot Carl Ben Eielson, painter
Sydney Lawrence and cartoonist
Virgil Partch all called Alaska home.
Vitus Bering
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32
Things to Do
_______________________
In Alaska
Mountain climbing
Wild Alaska
attracts people
who like to hike
and climb
mountains. Other visitors travel to Alaska
simply to see the beautiful mountains.
Alaska has many festivals and sporting
events. Fishing is popular in the
summer, and
skiing and sledriding in the
winter.
Fishing boat
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34
Sports
_______________________
Ice hockey
In Alaska
Sports in Alaska are different from
other states. Dog-sled racing is a good
example. Dog
mushing is the
official state sport.
In the summer,
Alaskans have
baseball games at
midnight. Only
two professional
sports teams are in Alaska. The
Anchorage Aces and the Fairbanks
Ice Dogs play minor league hockey.
Dog sled
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36
Mount McKinley
Fast Facts
Governor: Frank Murkowski
Capital: Juneau
Size: 570,374 square miles, 1st in the U.S.
Population: 626,932, 48th in the U.S.
Major cities: Anchorage, Juneau,
Fairbanks, Sitka, Ketchikan, Barrow
Nickname: "The Last Frontier"
State animal: moose
State bird: willow ptarmigan
State flower: forget-me-not
State tree: s itka spruce
State song: "Alaska's Flag"
State motto: "North to the future"
Falcon
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38
Glossary
Arctic Circle, an area near the North
Pole.
caribou, large reindeer native to North
America.
dog mushing, a sport where teams of
dogs pull sleds through the snow,
sometimes in races.
Eskimos, a group of people inhabiting
Arctic Coastal regions. Native American
people.
naturalist, one versed in botany or
zoology.
_______________________
officially, authorized by a proper
authority; formally
pipeline, a connected pipe that is
used to transport water, gas or oil
products.
prospector, one who explores an area
for mineral deposits or oil.
species, a category of classification of
organisms into a particular kind,
variety or type.
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40
Links & Books
For more information
____
Link1
____
Link2
____
Link3
____
Link4
Title: The World Book Encyclopedia
Publisher: World Book, Inc.
Copyright: 2002
Title: The Kid's World Almanac of the United
States
Author: Dr.Thomas G. Aylesworth
Publisher: World Almanac
Copyright: 1990
Title: Exploring the 50 States
Author: Marcie Anderson
Publisher: Willowisp Press, Inc.
Copyright: 1983
Visit our website @ www.isaveatree.com
42
Index
Alaska Highway, 19
Arctic Circle, 21
Bering, Vitus, 7, 31
Eskimos, 7
forget-me-not, 13, 29, 30
gas, natural, 14, 17
gold, 13, 17
Murkowski, Frank, 11
moose, 23, 24
_______________________
_______________________
Mount McKinley, 19
Muir, John, 31
mushing, dog, 35
oil, 10, 15,
ptarmigan willow, 25, 26
seafood, 16, 18
Sitka spruce, 27
Trans-Alaska Pipeline, 10
whale, bowhead, 24
44
Credits
Written by
James F. Kaserman
Sarah J. Kaserman
Edited by
Linda Coyner
Produced by
Robert Rance
Technologies
Doug Meyers
Design
Dan Mader
Photo credits
Alaska Department of Natural
Resources
www.arttoday.com
_______________________
I Save A Tree Inc. reserves the right to remove or exchange any
photo/illustration at any time without notice.
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